Georgia and Abkhazia: Soviet-era Dam Binds and Divides

The Enguri dam complex, a massive Soviet-built hydroelectric plant on the de facto border of Georgia and Abkhazia, is now closed for structural repairs, cutting the breakaway territory’s primary source of electricity, and forcing the two estranged partners to cooperate. (Photo: Georgia’s Ministry of Energy)

A massive Soviet-built hydroelectric plant on the de facto border of Georgia and Abkhazia is now closed for structural repairs, cutting the breakaway territory’s primary source of electricity, and forcing the two estranged partners to cooperate. The closure is also focusing fresh attention on the issue of efficiency, or the lack thereof, in the power sector.

The Enguri dam complex was closed on February 19 and was slated to remain closed for two weeks, Georgia’s Ministry of Energy announced. The closure was necessitated by significant water leakage from a 15-kilometer-long diversion tunnel that has impaired power output, said Levan Mebonia, the dam’s general director, in an interview with EurasiaNet.

Georgia and Abkhazia: Soviet-era Dam Binds and Divides

The Enguri dam complex, a massive Soviet-built hydroelectric plant on the de facto border of Georgia and Abkhazia, is now closed for structural repairs, cutting the breakaway territory’s primary source of electricity, and forcing the two estranged partners to cooperate. (Photo: Georgia’s Ministry of Energy)